together for a moment

Nick's gastrointestinal problem was still not healed at night, so he could only accompany Zhao Yimu to sip hot tea in the restaurant attached to the hotel, watching Zhao Yimu scratch his heart and lungs who was eating the Indian set meal (Thali).

"The most painful thing in the world is being hungry but unable to eat." Nick sighed with a drooping face.

"I took the medicine in the afternoon, and I will take it again later, maybe I will be alive and well tomorrow." Zhao Yimu swept the last mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"How about taking a boat to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning?" Speaking of this, Nick became interested again, and his expression became lively again, "Sit on the boat and watch the sun rise from the horizon, illuminating the 64 ghats on the banks of the Ganges, and then Participate in the morning baths of the locals.”

"It's okay to take a boat, but you don't need to take a morning bath." Zhao Yimu also started to drink tea. He was old and pedantic, and he recited a passage from a travel book: "The Ganges originated from the Mafamco Lake in Tibet. This ancient river Flowing through most of northern India, the coastal cities discharge untreated sewage into the river day and night, let alone the daily burning of corpses/bones/ashes on the banks of the Varanasi River, let alone People wash their clothes in the river, cows bathe in the river, and hotels throw garbage directly into the river. There is no doubt that this river, which is regarded as a cleansing sin, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. "

Nick is like a student who specially fooled the teacher in class, he nodded his head, and what the teacher said went in the left ear and came out in the right ear, without paying attention at all.

"So, so, I, say." Zhao Yimu picked up a fork and tapped it on the table, which was the same as the teacher tapping the blackboard with chalk. "It's good to watch the sunrise by boat, and forget about bathing." With a look of indifference, he threatened him in another way, "I heard that foreign tourists get sick when they touch the water of the Ganges, so we don't have to try it out?"

"Tomorrow, it depends on the situation at the scene." Nick took the last sip of tea, babbled his mouth, rubbed his arms and shivered, and muttered: "I don't know if the blanket in the hotel is warm enough..."

Facts have proved that there is no heating in the room at this price. The blanket is not thick enough and there is no hair dryer. After taking a shower, the two of them chose the warmest T-shirts to wear.

"Take out your socks and put them on." Nick's voice trembled while his hair was still wet.

"Before I came here, I always thought that India was a tropical country," Zhao Yimu rubbed a towel on Nick's head after wiping his hair, "Totally misjudged. Have you taken any medicine?"

"Eat, eat," Nick's skinny face was half covered by a towel, leaving a pair of round eyes, "You really look like my brother-in-law, you love to chatter."

Isn't it because I'm worried about you?The words flooded his throat and were swallowed by Zhao Yimu. He calmly thought about whether his worries were beyond friendship?And this brother who has been mentioned repeatedly, what is the relationship with Nick...

Nick ran out of bed to turn off the light, then quickly got back under the quilt, and instinctively got together with Zhao Yimu.

"Hey, you said before that your brother-in-law also likes men?" Zhao Yimu asked under the cover of darkness.

"Well, he's quite precocious, and he knew his sexuality early on," Nick rubbed himself in the blanket, taking a comfortable position.

"Oh." Zhao Yimu didn't ask any more, pulled up the blanket and tucked it in, and fell asleep listening to Nick's breathing.

The next morning at 05:30, the alarm clock sang dutifully. Zhao Yimu was still the one who got up first. After washing in the bathroom, he came out and saw a hill bulging on the bed. Ripe sweet potatoes, his ears and cheeks were flushed, he looked at it quietly for a while before whispering in Nick's ear: "If you don't get up again, brother Owen will take a boat to watch the sunrise by himself."

As soon as the words came out, Nick really opened his eyes, looked at him stupidly, and murmured, "I want to watch the sunrise." He got up slowly and got ready.

It was already dawn when we walked out of the hotel. Nick tightened his coat and did not forget to check Zhao Yimu's thermal work, "Tie your scarf well, so your mouth and nose don't get cold." Zhao Yimu also looked at his face and asked: " Is your stomach still hurting? Have you taken your medicine?” The two are like old and weak soldiers after the Long March. They know each other, care for each other, and have revolutionary emotions.

Now Zhao Yimu already has the basic skills of a backpacker. He found the boatman to find a good price, and took Nick to board the boat. Not long after the boatman sailed away from the shore, the sun burst out from the other side. The sky is reflected on the surface of the river, the stars and the moon fade away and the darkness recedes.The morning light is shining and soft, shining brightly and brightly on the altars, palaces or houses on the river bank. The messy and scattered buildings show the face of life and years. It cannot be said to be beautiful, but this unique beauty cannot be engraved. plan, cannot be imitated, cannot be spoken.

"It's beautiful." Nick admired in a low voice.

"Hmm." Zhao Yimu felt that the trip was worthwhile. It turns out that the beauty of the world is so diverse. The Taj Mahal is romantic and soft, and Varanasi is ancient and full of mysterious spiritual beauty.

The soul-stirring moment does not require too much verbal communication. Nick and Zhao Yimu held their breath in the swaying of the Ganges. Zhao Yimu first took the camera to catch this moment, trying to capture the shock in his heart and the stunning scenery in front of him into the camera. However, no matter how wide-angle the lens is, no matter how much the focus is adjusted, it cannot record the wind blowing on the face and the heartbeat at this time.

"Nick," Zhao Yimu called him, "We haven't been photographed together yet, how about one?"

Nick smiled and got close to him, Zhao Yimu raised the camera, the sun cast a soft light at the right time, Gucheng was behind them as a foil, this beautiful moment will always be in the camera.

The whole boat journey took about four to ten minutes. When they landed, many believers were already preparing to take a bath. The temperature in the morning was only 10 or [-] degrees Celsius. It takes a lot of faith and determination to jump into the icy river in this climate.

There are more and more people bathing on the banks of the river, including those who come with their families or alone. The ethnic groups that used to like to brag and laugh calm down in front of the holy river. Li enters the river, meditates, splashes water, soaks, prays, and the cleansing ceremony is solemnly and piously carried out under the morning light.

They walked slowly along the river bank, and when they were near the main altar, Nick pointed to a stall on the street corner and said, "That's the milk tea stall that I said was delicious."

The cold wind blows for more than an hour and I really want to drink something hot. Zhao Yimu said: "I'll buy two cups to warm my body."

The business of the stall is very good, and the sweet and hot drinks with white smoke are attractive to everyone in the cold winter. Zhao Yimu broke through from a group of locals and finally bought two cups, holding the mouth of the cup and walking steadily Going back, Nick was not where he was. Zhao Yimu looked around and saw no one, but he looked down and saw familiar shoes and clothes on the steps by the river.

Looking down the stairs, Nick was already half-soaked in the river as expected. The morning light surrounded his silhouette with a circle of golden light. Like the devout believers around him, he stood in the morning light as if no one else was there. He walked deeper and deeper step by step, and the water drowned Submerged from the waist, shoulders and head, and finally drowned in the river water, leaving a golden light. A few seconds later, Nick jumped out of the water and prayed silently with his hands clasped together.

Zhao Yimu thought that this thing had been premeditated, he sighed and put the milk tea aside, simply picked up the camera to take a picture, and when Nick climbed ashore wet all over, he handed over the hot milk tea and said with a sullen face: "The goal has been achieved? Drink first It's hot, we'll go straight back to the hotel after drinking."

"God, it doesn't feel cold in the river, but the wind blows when you get up, it's terrible!" Nick's teeth chattered violently.

Zhao Yimu took off the scarf and wiped it on him, urging him repeatedly: "Put on your clothes and let's go back to the hotel."

"Hey, the river is dirty, don't wipe it with your scarf." Nick's lips were purple, and he apologized tremblingly: "I'm sorry to trouble you."

Zhao Yimu shook his head and didn't say anything. Seeing that he was dressed, he dragged him all the way to the hotel, stuffed him directly into the bathroom to take a shower, and then went to the hotel to ask for a pot of hot water.

Nick came out of the shower with a pale face, sitting on the edge of the bed drinking hot water, sniffing and trembling after taking a few sips, looking miserable.

Zhao Yimu took a towel and rubbed it on his head, unable to control his emotions, he said in a slightly aggressive tone: "You are not a Hindu, why do you have to soak yourself in water when you have a convulsion?"

"It is written in the book that bathing in the Ganges can cleanse sins." Nick looked at the teacup in silence for a while, then raised his head and smiled at him: "Do you think homosexuality is a crime?"

Zhao Yimu stopped rubbing his head, thought for a while, and explained with the law: "People, regardless of gender, religion, race, class, party affiliation, are all equal in law. Homosexuality is not a crime, but it is not legal. Assure."

Nick blinked his eyes and listened, and chuckled: "You must be a lawyer!" After laughing for a while, he sighed and said, "I just... feel sorry for my parents. Although they accept and agree, but I know it's not easy."

"I thought you were the kind of person who would go your own way, but I didn't expect you to think too much." Zhao Yimu smiled and grabbed a few handfuls randomly, then removed the towel, and added hot water to his cup.

"I came out of the closet when I was in high school, and I didn't think about their feelings." Nick drank a few more sips, "I just think I'm quite self-willed. Didn't you say that before, many things just have to be wronged. good to everyone

"Sometimes that's true, but sometimes even if you feel wronged, you can't make everyone happy." Zhao Yimu said: "If you go against your own heart in order to make your parents happy, and find a girl to marry for the sake of carrying on the family line, but you don't love her..." Speaking of this, he suddenly lost his voice.

He thought of Xiaopei.

"That won't work, it's too tiring to act for a lifetime," Nick imagined the scene, and smiled with relief: "It seems that I have to pay more attention to them."

Zhao Yimu didn't dare to think about going further, so he changed the subject: "Go out and eat later?"

"Okay!" Nick put down his glass and stood up to get ready.

Every time you step into the alley, you have to spend 5 minutes waiting for your sense of smell to be tired before you can relax your breath. If you have nothing to do, you have to pass by the cows. In fact, there are no special attractions in the winding alley, but just walking in it is a kind of The magical atmosphere of falling into a time tunnel.

At noon, they sat two old men diagonally across the table. Nick took a few glances and asked Zhao Yimu with a snickering smile: "Do you think they are a couple?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yimu looked over there, and just happened to meet one of the old men, who nodded and smiled, and Zhao Yimu also nodded and smiled, and then whispered to Nick: "They probably thought we were a couple too."

Nick snickered a few more times, and said, "Isn't it hard for you, a straight man, to be treated as gay?"

Zhao Yimu nonsense nonchalantly: "Fortunately, I tried my best to be a different version of myself during the trip, maybe I have a hidden factor of being gay."

"Wow, brother Owen, you've changed," Nick said in an exaggerated tone that can only be found on shopping channels, "When I met you a month ago, you were still a stubborn rock with a lot of principles and rules. Now not only I can bargain when I buy things, I can eat roadside stalls, I can buy cheap clothes with colors, and I try to be a different version of myself, wow, it’s amazing, who is responsible for this?”

"Who knew, when I came to the country where the gods are, I was transformed by the gods." Zhao Yimu didn't fall into his routine.

"Hey, it's not flattering," Nick sighed, teasing him with his head on his hand, "I'm just gradually discovering the charm of brother Owen..."

Zhao Yimu's heart beat faster when he heard it, but his face remained calm: "Oh? Tell me."

"Huh, that's a good idea." Nick put on a high profile, "I won't even ask for credit, but you still want to hear me praise you?"

Zhao Yimu didn't delve too deeply into it, he looked at the two old people at the table again and again, and said with emotion: "It would be a blessing to be able to travel with this company when I am old."

"That's it," Nick nodded in agreement, "My goal in life is almost like this, to find a like-minded partner and travel around the world hand in hand."

This desire is simple to say, but it is actually not easy.Zhao Yimu sighed lightly, with mixed emotions in his heart.

After dinner, I wanted to go to the direction of the Nepalese temple, but Nick’s condition was not very good, his walking speed became slower and slower, and his face became worse and worse. When Zhao Yimu stopped to wait for him for the third time, Nick couldn’t help it anymore , holding his stomach and throwing up on the side of the street.

The author has something to say:

Resume more articles at ten o'clock tomorrow.

I really want to share the beautiful scenery of the Ganges River, which I will never forget.